The Importance of Free Play

The school bell rang, it was early afternoon and the sun was shining outside. I grabbed my bag and ran out , along orchards with apple trees, the local grocery shop, the playground with the swings that could make you fly... At home I quickly had a meal before heading out again, to see who was out playing. And we stayed out, climbing trees, bicycling around our neighbourhood, running over fields, playing football, going on adventures and lots more, all until our mothers had called us endlessly and it started to get dark. This was Oslo in the 1980's.

The school bell rings, it's 3:30 and I need the girls to hurry up as it's Wednesday. I had a phone conversation earlier on the day with a friend telling me excited about her babies activities; Baby Swimming, Baby Singing, Baby Yoga, Baby painting and lots more. They had something on every day! But "she craves it" she said, after me muttering something about it might being too much. But as I'm hurrying over to the dance studio with my girls, I can't help think that I'm doing the exact same thing, not giving my children enough of the important free play they really need. This is London 2012.

PhD thesis "Children’s Daily Physical Activity" by Glen Nielsen revealed that free play is far more efficient than organized activities, both in terms of using energy but also develop a healthy brain. Allowing children to use their creativity and develop their imagination is vital part of their learning as well as ensuring a healthy and active lifestyle that is so important from early years. By allowing free play the children are encouraged to interact with the world around them, helping them build confidence and having fun.

So how about cutting down on after school activities, turning off that TV and removing the video games! And instead ensuring plenty of free play with lots of time and imaginative toys to play with, both indoors and outdoors.

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